Destiny's Call - Part One
by TempestXtreme
Summary: Date: Two months after Ultimecia's defeat. Place: FF8 World. Crisis: Aside from Seifer rejoining Garden, a strange girl with dangerous powers warns SeeD that a group of powerful demons is going to attack them! PART ONE FINISHED - THIS IS A REPOST! Read an
1. Prologue

Destiny's Call – A FFVIII Saga

Destiny's Call – A FFVIII Saga

** **

**By TempestXtreme**

** **

Author's Notes: I don't own any of the FFVIII characters, but I do own my own characters, so if you wanna use them (although the chances of that happening are next to nothing), email me @ [tempestxtreme@hotmail.com][1] and I'll consider it. 

Prologue – Nightmares…or visions?

Lightning split the sky like a whip and the rain fell like miniature bombs upon Squall's head and face. He was here again, in the dark world where the storms never ended and the nightmare had only just begun. But tonight it was different, tonight Squall could see where he was, but what he saw terrified him. He was in the middle of a gigantic battlefield. The bodies of the fallen soldiers lay strewn on top of each other and the field ran red with blood. 

Another crack of lightning struck the dark skies.

And Squall's breath froze in his lungs. The dead bodies were SeeDs, and among the dead lay six bodies that somehow stood out from the rest. The bodies belonged to Squall and his friends, and they, like the rest of the bodies, lay strewn where they had died. But there was something different about their bodies. Whatever had killed them had used some sort of high-calibre rounds to blast holes in their chests.

Something else stirred in the darkness.

"Squall."

The voice echoed in his mind. 

"Squall Leonhart."

The voice was sweet, almost…seductive.

"You must stop this before it starts."

Stop what?

"You must stop her."

Stop whom?

"Stop her, Squall!"

There was movement among the corpses.

"You failed us."

Squall looked in the direction of the voice, and realized with horror that it belonged to Rinoa. 

Lightning streaked the skies, and in that brief moment of clearness, Squall saw Rinoa standing before him, and screamed. Rinoa's entire body was covered in blood, and her blue cape was torn to shreds. Her dark eyes, once so full of life, were now nothing more than empty holes that gave way to nothingness. Her hair was matted with blood and mud, and her head lay at an unnatural angle. Squall was frozen in place by fear.

"You failed us!"

Squall let out a loud, unearthly scream and woke up with a start. 

"Squall, what's the matter?" 

"W-what?" Squall said. "Rinoa?"

The lights came on and Rinoa was looking at Squall with a look of concern on her angelic face. Squall hugged her tightly. 

_"It was a dream," _he thought. _"Thank the Hyne, it was only a dream!"_

_ _

But had it been just a dream, or was it a message? 

"Squall, what's the matter?" 

"Nothing, Rinoa. Nothing at all."

"All right. Good night Squall."

"Good night Rinoa."

**Author's Notes: **That's the short prologue completed! I hope I didn't make it too scary, but it WAS a nightmare after all. On to Chapter One!

   [1]: mailto:tempestxtreme@hotmail.com



	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I don't own FFVIII or its characters

Author's Notes: I don't own FFVIII or its characters! But I do own my own characters! If you wanna use 'em, email me @ [**tempestxtreme@hotmail.com**][1]!

** **

Chapter One – Sarah 

_Fate came calling at my door,_

_Fate came calling._

_Fate came calling at my door,_

_And I answered._

_ _

_Fate came into my home,_

_Fate came in._

_Fate asked to talk to me,_

_Fate asked._

_ _

_Fate told me what was to come,_

_Fate told me._

_ _

_But I told Fate:_

_ _

_"I make my own destiny."_

_ _

_And Fate walked out,_

_And Fate walked out._

_ _

_Fate came calling at my door,_

_Fate came calling._

_ _

Fate Came Calling – Author Unknown

Seifer filled out his Garden enrolment form and handed it to Squall, who looked over it with a blank look on his face. Why Headmaster Cid had allowed Seifer to rejoin Garden after all he had done was beyond Squall's understanding. Squall sighed and nodded when he had finished reading the form. 

"Welcome back to Garden Seifer," he said without looking up. "I hope you don't get kicked out this time."

Seifer smirked. "I don't plan on doing anything except becoming a better SeeD than you, Puberty Boy," he said. "When do my first classes start?"

Squall handed him a schedule. "Two hours," he said. "As you can see, your first class is hand-to-hand combat." Squall allowed himself a small grin. "Zell's the Instructor in charge of that class."

Seifer's smirk disappeared. "I hate you, Leonhart." 

"You can call me 'sir' from now on," Squall said. "Now hurry and get prepared for class, Cadet Almasy."

Seifer grumbled. "Yes, _sir_," he said grudgingly, and left. As soon as he was gone, Squall laughed. Oh, revenge was sweet, especially if was directed on the man that had tried to kill Squall and his friends on more than one occasion. But Squall knew that Seifer would have to change his attitude if he was going to be a SeeD. 

"Seifer, I hope that you can change, for all our sakes," he said to himself. The next potential student walked into the office…

_Centra Crater_

_ _

A small black dot appeared just above the Demi Drawpoint in the Centra Crater. Although it was small at first, it slowly grew larger, and as it grew larger, it grew darker. Bolts of energy shot out of the portal, striking at the barren landscape and scorching the areas that they struck. A silhouette appeared in the center of the portal, and it stepped out of the blackness and stepped down onto the ground below her. She stood at around 6 feet, looked to be around 18, and wore a turquoise cloak over a white vest and matching white long pants. White boots covered her feet, and she was wearing white gloves on her hands. Her white hair fell in beautiful locks around her slim waist and her hazel eyes scanned the horizon. She let out a sigh of relief as she looked at the moon. There was no eclipse, and the sun still shone a bright, almost blinding white. They had not yet come to this world, but when they did, she was going to have to help defend it, and hopefully save it from destruction. 

_"I have to save this world at least," _she thought. _"If I don't, my time in this body will be over, and I will be forced back into the abyss…"_

_ _

Her hand went to the golden hilt of her sword. She could sense the presence of a lesser demon, possibly what the people of a world like this called a 'monster'. There it was again, and it was attacking her! In an instant, her sword was in her hands and ready to taste this monster's blood, for it was demon's blood that gave the sword its power. The sword was silver in colour, long and had runes carved into the blade. The runes were Runes of Protection, and they now began to glow dimly. 

_"So this monster is a weak one, then," _the woman thought to herself. It was a three-eyed flying creature, red-blue in colour with two tentacles coming out of its back. Although she did not know at the time, the creature was a Jell-eye. It cast Firaga on the woman, who reeled back in shock. 

_"Fire magic!" _she thought. _"I must act quickly!"_

_ _

She held the flat side of her sword to her head and closed her eyes. 

"Oh great spirits of flame, aid me now! I call upon you in this time of need!"

She held the sword above her head, and was surrounded by a shield of flame that outlined her body, but it did not burn her, it protected her. She looked at the monster, charged at it…and seemingly passed straight through it. She stood behind the creature with her eyes closed. 

There was silence for a moment…

And then the Jell-eye fell into two pieces and evaporated in a dark mist. The woman sighed and sheathed her sword.

"I must hurry and find the people that can help me defend this world," she said to herself. She straightened her cloak and walked toward the ocean. When she reached the water, she disappeared,

**Author's Notes: What do you think of this chapter? Do you want me to continue?**

** **

   [1]: mailto:tempestxtreme@hotmail.com



	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - 

Chapter Two – The warning

** **

Seifer fell to the mat, but quickly got back up and gave Zell a cold stare. _"He's enjoying this," _he thought. _"Chicken-Wuss is enjoying this!"_

_ _

Zell laughed. "Not bad, Seifer," he said. "All you need is about ten months' worth of training and you'll actually be able to fight without your gunblade."

Seifer glared at him. "Are you done?" he asked. "I have another class to get to in five minutes."

Zell nodded. "Class dismissed," he said. "Remember to practice what I've taught you today."

The class nodded and left, leaving Zell alone with his thoughts. 

"Seifer seems to be fighting the urge to call me Chicken-Wuss," he said to himself. "Heh, I'm impressed."

_"I am not."_

_ _

"You wouldn't be, Bahamut," Zell said. "You're usually so quiet. S'up?"

_"I read Seifer's mind, he did actually call you Chicken-Wuss in his mind."_

_ _

"That figures," said Zell. "I'll just have to ignore him then, won't I?"

_"Yes, you will."_

_ _

The GF went silent, and Zell prepared for his next class.

The white-haired woman appeared in the forest next to the Fire Cavern and looked around. She could sense the presence of more monsters, yet none of them were attacking her, yet. Nonetheless, she held the hilt of her sword, just in case she ran into trouble. She walked toward the edge of the forest without incident and found herself looking at a wide-open field of green grass, a few forests and a road nearby. She looked behind her and saw the Fire Cavern.

_"There is a great power inside that cavern," _she thought. _"A spirit of fire…"_

_ _

She made her way to the road and saw Balamb Town nearby. _"Perhaps the inhabitants of that town will know where I can find worthy warriors."_

_ _

She walked along the edge of the road, taking in the scenery as she walked. She was on an island that was lined with mountains on one side, and a beach and sea on the other. And in between the mountains and beach lay green fields with forests scattered all around. As she reached the gate of the town, she turned back. Behind her in the distance stood Balamb Garden. 

_"What a beautiful building," _she thought. It was indeed beautiful. It's light blue paint glistened in the sunlight, and its golden ring rotated around the top of the building. _"I wonder what they use it for."_

_ _

She sighed and entered the town. 

Seifer picked up the rifle and loaded it quickly. Guns had been one of his stronger points in Garden, so he knew exactly what he was doing. Irvine came up to him and grinned.

"Not bad Seifer," he said. "Now can you aim with that?"

"Of course I can aim!" Seifer said. "Just show me what to shoot!"

Irvine's grin widened. "You see that target over there?" he said. Seifer nodded. "The one to the left of it."

Seifer nodded and looked to the left. It was a picture of him!

"Hey!" he said. "I'm not about to shoot myself, Kinneas!"

Irvine chuckled. "Fine, fine… Shoot the one I showed you first then."

Seifer smirked and took aim. He didn't even hesitate before firing, and he hit the target in the chest with the first shot. Irvine pressed a button and the target came forward. 

"Nice shot," he said. "Next time go for the head; that can't be protected by body armour."

Seifer glared at him.

_Balamb Town_

"Excuse me, but can you tell me where I can find some good fighters?" 

The person whom she was asking turned to face her. "Yeah," he said. "You've seen the building near the mountains, right? Well, that's a military academy that hires out mercenaries. If you wanna get some good fighters, go there and see if there're any available."

The white-haired woman smiled and thanked him before turning and leaving.

_"So it is a military academy then," _she thought. _"Perhaps I will be able to save this planet at least…"_

_ _

Irvine emptied the clip into the target and brought it close for the entire class, including Seifer, to see properly. All of the shots hit the head or the throat, and none of them missed. Irvine turned to the class and said: "The secret to winning a fire fight against an armoured opponent is aiming for the head or throat. Those are the two areas that can't be protected with armour."

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. The students packed up and walked out, but Irvine stopped Seifer before he could leave.

"You're good with a gun, Seifer," he said. "You might be a good SeeD. Just learn to be patient, and you'll probably be a better SeeD than Squall."

Seifer smirked. "That's the plan, Kinneas," he said, and walked out. Irvine sighed and left. At least it was time for the midday break, and he could have lunch with Selphie in the cafeteria. 

After being attacked by a few annoying insect-type monsters, the white-haired woman finally stood at the main gate of Balamb Garden. She knew that it was Balamb Garden because it had a huge sign saying 'Balamb Garden' at the top. 

"This is truly a magnificent building," she said quietly. "I hope that I can find some worthy warriors for the battle that is to come…"

She walked up to the main desk and looked at the old man that greeted her. "Do you know where I can find the person in charge of this building?" she asked. The old man nodded. 

"Up the stairs and on the third floor," he said. "Any particular reason you want to see the Commander?"

_"Commander?" _she thought. "I want to talk to him about hiring some of his soldiers."

The old man nodded. "All right then," he said. "Just don't cause any trouble while you're inside."

The woman nodded. "I won't."

She walked inside and was stopped in her tracks by the beauty of the building. The hall was filled with teenagers in casual clothes, some kind of black, blue and red uniform and a light blue military uniform. An indoor river circled the elevator platform and ran alongside the plants that lined the halls as the sunlight filtered in through the roof. 

_"What a beautiful building!" _she thought. _"But…why are they all teenagers? Where are the adults…?"_

_ _

She walked towards the stairs and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the third floor and waited patiently to arrive at her destination. She did, and the doors opened and she stepped out. There was a girl in a light blue cape at the desk outside the doors with dark hair and a lovely face. She looked up and smiled. 

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I want to see the Commander. Is he available?" 

The blue-caped girl nodded. "He's in his office, right through those doors," she said, standing up. "I'll tell him you want to see him, miss…"

"Sarah Phoenix."

The blue-caped girl nodded and knocked on the door. "Squall, there's somebody here to see you. Her name is Sarah Phoenix."

Squall sighed and nodded his head. "Send her in Rinoa," he said. Rinoa nodded and stepped aside. Sarah nodded and looked at the 'Commander' in surprise. He couldn't have been more than seventeen! How did somebody his age become the Commander of a military academy? Sarah walked over to his desk and shook his hand. 

"Please, have a seat, Miss Phoenix," Squall said. Sarah sat down.

"Please, call me Sarah," she said. Squall sat down as well. 

"Why do you want to talk to me?" he asked. Sarah sighed. __

_ _

_"I wonder if he'll believe me?" _she thought. "I'm here to warn you about a group of powerful demons called the 'Shadow Claw'. They seek out worlds like this one, kill the inhabitants and suck the world dry of all of its resources before they leave it to die. I'm looking for strong fighters to help me defend this world when the Shadow Claw eventually reaches this planet."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" he asked. 

"Deadly serious."

Squall sighed. "As if having to fight a Sorceress wasn't enough," he said under his breath. 

"What was that?" Sarah asked. "A Sorceress?"

Squall looked at her. "Yes," he said. "It happened two months ago. You see; this Garden trains SeeDs, a group of elite mercenaries whose task is to defeat any Sorceress that becomes a major threat. It's a long story, but simply put: we had to travel through time and defeat a powerful Sorceress named Ultimecia."

Sarah froze at the mention of that name. "U-Ultimecia? She asked. "Tell me, did she transform into a grotesque faceless creature?"

Squall nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Ultimecia is one of the most powerful demons in Shadow Claw. Her ability to mimic human form and use magic makes her highly dangerous. But she disappeared years ago, and hasn't been seen since. So, she came to this worlds' future as a Sorceress…"

Squall was suddenly worried. "Are you saying that there are more creatures like Ultimecia coming here?" he asked. Sarah nodded.

"And the other demons are much, much more powerful. Normal humans cannot defeat them easily, as it requires incredible physical strength and skill in magic to harm them even slightly," she said. 

Squall pressed a button on his desk. "Will Zell, Irvine, Quistis and Selphie report to my office immediately," he said. He pressed another button. "Rinoa, get in here too."

Squall looked at Sarah. "I hope you're wrong, Sarah," he said.

"So do I," she replied. "So do I…"

**Author's Notes: I enjoyed writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed reading it!**

** **


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Untitled

Chapter Three – Sarah's rival, and a surprise

Sarah looked at her audience nervously. Irvine was dressed in a brown trench coat and wore a black cowboy hat and carried a gun, Quistis wore an orange dress, brown boots and carried a whip, and Selphie seemed to like a short yellow dress, brown boots and carried a shinobou. Zell was the hand-to-hand fighter of the group, and he wore baggy pants and a jacket with fire on the shoulders. He also had a tattoo on his temple. Rinoa, whom Sarah had met outside the office, wore a blue cape over black clothing and carried some sort of projectile weapon on her wrist. There was something about Rinoa that bothered Sarah, although she couldn't put a finger on it. She turned back to Squall, who was leaning against his desk dressed in black leather pants, white shirt, black shoes, with black gloves and a black fur-lined jacket over the shirt. He carried a weapon that looked like a mixture of a revolver and a sword at his side. 

_"Interesting group of people," _she thought. Squall cleared his throat.

"This is Sarah Phoenix. She approached me earlier and told me that our world is being targeted by a group of powerful demons that call themselves the Shadow Claw. She also says that Ultimecia was one of the more powerful Shadow Claw demons," he said.

Silence.

"Whoa, you can't be serious!" Irvine said. "Ultimecia was actually a demon?"

"You had better believe it," said Sarah. "And there are more powerful demons where she came from."

Quistis crossed her arms across her chest and gave Sarah a doubtful look. "How would you know?" she asked.

"I'm a demon slayer," Sarah said matter-of-factly. "I hunt these things and kill them."

They all looked at her. "Why are you so surprised?" she asked. "Because of my human appearance? I am not human."

"Then what are you?" Quistis asked. 

"A hybrid," said Sarah. "My father was a demon who fell in love with my mother. They spent the night together, and nine months later I was born. When I was twelve, I killed somebody in cold blood using my then-hidden demon powers-" she lowered her eyes. "-I was cast out of my village and forced to learn how to survive in an unforgiving world. One night, I was attacked and almost killed by a lesser demon, but a man named Josiah saved me. He realised that, while I had incredible powers at my disposal, I had no idea what they could do, so he took me in and raised me as his own daughter-" she sighed. "-He himself was attacked and killed by a powerful demon called Ranka, and I tried to stop her but was almost killed. Because of my interference, Ranka destroyed the town that I was living in at the time, and the survivors cast me out. Now, I hunt Ranka and her kind, each day getting closer and closer to my goal: to destroy Ranka and her demon army so that they cannot destroy any more innocent lives."

"So you travel around helping people, is that it?" Quistis asked. Sarah looked at her. 

"I can tell that you and I aren't going to get along," she said. "But yes, I do help people as much as I can. My heart might pump demon blood, but my soul is that of a human!"

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure that I believe you," she said. Sarah threw her arms into the air dramatically. 

"Why do I always meet people like you!?" she exclaimed. "It's a wonder that I don't just leave this world and let you die trying to stop the Shadow Claw yourselves!"

Squall had seen enough. "Would you two just shut up!?" he said. "Quistis, Sarah's given us no reason not to trust her."

"But she's given us no reason _to _trust her either," Quistis replied. "If any of you want me, I'll be in my dormitory."

Quistis turned sharply and walked out in an angry huff. 

"What's her problem?" Sarah asked. 

"She's just been in a really foul mood lately," Zell said. "Maybe it's because Seifer's back."

"Who?" Sarah asked. 

"He helped Ultimecia two months ago," Rinoa said. "He was her Knight."

"I see," said Sarah. "I take it that they never got along?"

Selphie chuckled. "Seifer's always been a pain in the butt," she said. "He and Squall were always at each other's throats, ever since we were all at the orphanage together."

Sarah arched an eyebrow. "You all grew up together?" she asked with interest. Selphie nodded.

"And now we're all together here in Garden!" she said. "Our Matron was a Sorceress, too."

"Oh? What's her name?" Sarah asked. 

"Edea Kramer," Squall said. "You're not going to tell us that she's a demon too, are you?"

Sarah waved her hand and a black book appeared in the air in front of her. She flipped through the pages, reading out names quickly.

"Adel, Abadon, Ifrit… No, there's no Edea Kramer here," she said, closing the book. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Wait, you mentioned Adel and Ifrit," Rinoa said. 

"Yes, they're both Shadow Claw demons," Sarah said. The group looked at each other. Squall sighed and concentrated, and Ifrit appeared in the center of the room. 

"What do you want?" he said, and then he noticed Sarah.

"YOU!" they both said at once. 

"What are you doing with these humans, demon!?" Sarah said, reaching for her sword. Ifrit growled.

"They are my masters! What are you doing here, Demon Slayer?" he replied angrily. Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"It is your presence that I sensed in that cavern," she said. Ifrit growled deeply.

"I have not been in the Fire Cavern for two months," he said. "If you felt a presence there, it was not mine."

"Indeed, your power seems to have decreased, demon of flame," Sarah said, smirking. "What's wrong, has Ranka discarded you?"

Ifrit roared loudly and threw a punch at Sarah, who simply jumped out of the way. 

"Squall, I would advise you to keep him away from me lest I destroy him," she said. Squall nodded.

"Ifrit, leave, NOW!" he said. Ifrit growled at Sarah and disappeared. 

"How many more of these creatures can you control?" Sarah asked. 

"We have found sixteen Guardian Forces so far," Squall said. 

"Guardian Forces?"

"A separate body of power that we can Junction to ourselves to boost our power. Ifrit was the one that I defeated in the fire cavern."

Sarah sighed. "What are the names of these…GFs?" she asked, summoning the book again. Squall named them all, but only one other GF name appeared in the book: Doomtrain. Irvine called the Poison GF into the room, although only its face appeared, hanging in the air. 

"What is it you want from me, my masters?" it asked. 

"We have somebody here whom I think you might know," Irvine said. He pointed at Sarah, and Doomtrain's eyes went wide.

"Sarah Phoenix!" it said. "The hybrid that plagues my former comrades! Why are you here? Has Ranka targeted this world?"

Sarah looked at the GF. "Yes," she said. "But you called the Shadow Claw your former comrades. Could it be that one of their own has finally betrayed them?"

"I saw no real future in destroying worlds," Doomtrain said. "So instead, I created a ring for myself, and rested in it until my masters found it and unlocked me. Now, I defend this world with them."

"At least one of the Shadow Claw demons came to its senses," Sarah said. "What about Ifrit?"

"He was cast out," said Doomtrain. "He challenged Ranka and lost, so she banished him. He came to this world and became a Guardian Force, like me."

Sarah nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

"I am sorry, but I must leave you and rest," Doomtrain said. Irvine nodded.

"Go ahead."

Doomtrain faded away back to his ring, and Irvine turned to his friends.

"We might just be in trouble here," he said. "Sarah, you say you hunt these demons?"

Sarah nodded. 

"Then why not stay at Garden and train us?" Irvine said. Sarah looked at everybody.

"Will that be OK?" she asked. Squall nodded.

"I'll assign you a dorm. In the meantime, why don't you take a look around Garden?" he said. Sarah shrugged.

"I could do that. But first, I need to eat, as I haven't done so in two days," she said. They all stared at her. "What?" 

"You haven't eaten in two days?" Zell asked. 

"The demon part of me gives me enough energy to last me at least three days. That way, I don't need to eat that often."

Zell sighed. "I'll take you to the cafeteria," he said. "Just follow me."

Sarah nodded. "Thank you," she said. "Do you have hotdogs on this world? I love the taste of them."

The group sighed.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked. 

"Not another hotdog fanatic!" Selphie said. "Zell can't get enough of them!"

Zell grinned. "The Garden hotdogs are the best! C'mon, I'll get you some!"

"All right," Sarah said. "Shall we go?"

Zell nodded and opened the door for her. "After you."

"Why thank you."

Sarah walked out and Zell followed her, leaving behind a stunned group of teenagers.

"Uh, right," Selphie said. "I wonder what Beth's gonna say about that?"

Irvine shivered. "I'd rather not think about it," he said. They all agreed and went back to work.

Author's Notes: Somehow, I doubt that this chapter was as good as I wanted it to be…Oh well, review it please!


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – Dreams of the Slayer

Chapter Four – The first battle

** **

It was a clear day outside of the forest, and yet the sky betrayed the ominous feeling that hung over the five-year-old child as she wondered through the forest. She was alone, tired, wounded and had nowhere to go. Her hazel eyes betrayed her fear as she walked through the shadows of the forest where demons were said to dwell. Something got stuck in the girls' pure-white hair, and she screamed as she grabbed the branch that had been tangled in her hair. Her white dress had been muddied, and her shoes had long ago been lost in the dark woods that surrounded her. Her arms, legs and face had been badly scratched by thorns and she was bleeding from the small wounds. She heard something behind her, and began to run for her life. She could not see where she was going, but she could care less. All she wanted now was to get away before she was killed. Her foot struck a root, and she fell down hard in the mud. And then it was upon her; teeth like daggers that dripped blood, dark evil eyes that were filled with hunger, claws that could tear through steel and fur dark as night. It stood above her, its wolf-like howl echoing through her mind victoriously. But the howl changed quickly to a yelp as a sword cut into the lesser demon's spine, spilling its blood and ending its evil life. It collapsed and started to evaporate next to the girl, who had her eyes shut tight from fear. 

"Hey, are you OK?"

She opened her eyes and saw a man with a large sword standing over her. And then, the tears flowed freely as the man picked the girl up and carried her off…

…And then Sarah woke up with tears streaming down her face. 

_"Josiah," _she thought. That nightmare was actually a memory, and it reminded her of the lie that she had perpetuated when she arrived here. 

_"Josiah, I'm so sorry," _she thought sadly. _"I didn't want to kill you, but _she _made me…"_

_ _

_Six hundred years previously_

_ _

"Sarah, no!"

But Sarah did not stop. She continued to rip the house apart with her bare hands, the evil side of her taking control. Josiah could do nothing except watch his 'daughter' rip the house to shreds as she searched for the sword that would kill her. Her face twisted into a grin as she picked it up and took it out of the sheath. She turned to Josiah and raised the blade. 

"I will kill you before you can kill me, Demon Slayer!" she said in a deep, growling voice. 

Josiah closed his eyes as Sarah cut his head into two with his own sword. 

Later, when Sarah had regained control, she had found out what she had done and had vowed to destroy the she-demon that had lied to her and caused her to kill her 'father'…

_The present_

_ _

Sarah stared blankly into her tea, half expecting the liquid to show her something of the past, present or future. She sighed and downed it in one gulp. Her first night at the Garden had been unsettling, to say the least. 

"Morning!" 

Sarah turned and saw Selphie waving to her with a wide grin on her face. 

"Good morning Selphie," she said. 

"So how'd ya sleep?" Selphie asked, plopping herself down in the chair next to Sarah.

"Don't ask," Sarah replied. "I…remembered something in the form of a nightmare."

Selphie looked thoughtful, but didn't ask about it. Instead she asked: "So, when're you gonna start?"

Sarah looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Start what?" she asked.

"Your SeeD training of course!" Selphie said. "If you're gonna be workin' with us, you're gonna have to be trained like a SeeD so that you blend in."

Sarah blinked at her. "Who decided that?"

"Squall of course! He's the Commander, so he decides what happens here," Selphie said. Sarah sighed. 

"Fine," she said. "When do I start?"

"In three hours," Selphie said happily. "Uh, are you gonna be using that sword you came in here with yesterday?"

"What…? Oh, yes I am. Why? Is there a problem with me using it?" Sarah asked. Selphie shook her head.

"No, but I needed to know so that I could put it in your student form," she said. "What's the sword called?"

Sarah sighed. "Destiny," she said. "The sword is called Destiny."

"Okie dokie!" Selphie said. "Oh, and you might wanna get yourself a schedule from Squall."

Sarah nodded. "What about a uniform?" she asked.

"We don't have a very strict dress code here," Selphie said. "You can wear what you're wearing now, or you could wear a uniform. It's up to you."

"All right," Sarah said, standing up. "Is there any place that I can train?"

"Sure. The training center is just down the hall. It's the path with the green floor. Be careful though, the monster's inside there are real."

Sarah smirked. "You think that monsters like the ones you have around here will frighten me? I've killed hundreds of Shadow Claw demons that are a thousand times more powerful than these 'monsters'."

Selphie chuckled. "Yeah, I see your point. But you should be careful anyway, especially if a T-Rexuar attacks you."

"A what?" Sarah asked.

"You'll know it when you see it, trust me," Selphie said. "Well, see you later."

Sarah smiled at her and left. 

Seifer cut the Grat into two pieces with his gunblade and sighed. Although Grats were easy to kill, they usually attacked in groups of two or three, and that presented a problem. 

_"It feels so good to be back in here, training," _he thought, smirking. Another Grat attacked him, but was soon enveloped in a Firaga spell and burnt to a crisp. 

_"Another one bites the dust," _Seifer thought. _"That's what you get for messing with Seifer Almasy!"_

_ _

Seifer walked across the bridge that connected the two islands to each other. So far, he had run into nothing but Grats, and it was getting a little boring just killing them. _"Come on! Where's a T-Rexuar?!" _he thought. _"I need a challenge!"_

_ _

He heard something in the bushes nearby, and assumed that it was a monster. He raised his gunblade in front of him.

"All right, come out and fight!" he said. He soon swallowed his words; because what came out of the bushes was unlike any monster he had ever seen. It looked like a T-Rexuar, except that it was pitch-black with burning white eyes and large, skeletal wings protruded from its back, and its teeth and claws where longer and sharper than anything Seifer had ever seen. It looked at Seifer and roared loudly. 

"HOLY FUCKIN' SHIT!" Seifer screamed. The creature lunged at him in an attempt to scoop him into its mouth, but Seifer jumped out of the way. Seifer had no choice but to fight, so he raised his gunblade and swiped at it. He hardly made a scratch. _"Oh shit!" _Seifer thought.

Sarah suddenly felt the presence of a demon nearby, and drew Destiny. It glowed brightly. There was a powerful demon nearby! She ran toward the islands, and found Seifer doing battle with a large black dinosaur-type monster with large skeletal wings protruding from its back. 

"Kataba!" she yelled. The demon turned towards her, and its eyes glowed brightly. 

"You!" it said. Sarah raised Destiny in front of her and closed her eyes. 

"Spirits of Light, aid me now in this time of need! Empower my sword with thine own power!" she said. Her sword was enveloped in a bright light, and Sarah opened her eyes and looked at Kataba with a smirk. 

"Have at thee, demon!" she said. She ran toward Kataba and swung her sword in a wide arc, cutting a deep wound in its side. Kataba reeled back and roared in pain and anger. Its eyes glowed brightly as it used its demonic powers to summon forth a wave of fire to envelope Sarah in searing pain. Sarah gritted her teeth. 

"Sprites of Water, protect me from the flames," she said softly. Her body glowed blue, and the fire wave was extinguished. She looked at the demon, her eyes betraying her anger and hatred. 

"Time to finish this," she said. "My sword will feast on your blood this night, Kataba!"

She held the flat end of her blade to her forehead. "Blade of Destiny, I beseech thee! Grant me the power to vanquish this evil one!" 

The runes on the blade glowed crimson, and Sarah leaped into the air and brought the sword crashing down in between the neck and body, severing them from each other and spilling Kataba's black blood on the ground. Where the blood spilled, it killed the grass and befouled the soil so that nothing would grow there ever again. Kataba's head dissolved into nothingness, and Destiny fed on his spilled blood. When the sword had drunk its fill, the body evaporated into nothing. Seifer finally found his voice and said:

"What the hell was that, and who the fuck are you?!"

Sarah looked at him as she sheathed her sword. "My name is Sarah Phoenix," she said. "I'm a new student here. Who might you be?"

Seifer crossed his arms on his chest. "For a student, you sure do know how to kill a monster," he said. "The name's Seifer Almasy."

"Ah, Ultimecia's Knight," Sarah said. Seifer glared at her. How had she known about that? 

"Don't worry," Sarah said, seeing the look on his face. "She was a powerful demon and quite capable of controlling a human mind with empty promises."

"What do you mean 'demon'?" Seifer asked. "Ultimecia was a Sorceress!"

"She was a demon who could mimic human form," Sarah said. "I know because I hunt them!"

"So you're a demon hunter?" Seifer said. "Yeah, right, and I am the President of Esthar."

"Ohh, sarcastic, aren't we?" Sarah said. "I can't stand your type: arrogant and self-centred with nothing better to do with your time than annoy your betters."

"Why you!" Seifer said. "I outta!"

Sarah grinned. "I would not advise it," she said. "You saw what I could do to a powerful demon, just imagine what I could do to you."

Seifer glared at her and walked off.

_"Hmm…he's kind of cute," _Sarah thought to herself. _"Nice butt, too."_

_ _

**Author's Notes: First battle! YAY! Review, please!**

** **


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five – Problems

Chapter Five – Problems, and a new arrival

"We have problems."

Squall almost jumped when Sarah appeared next to him out of nowhere. "What kind of problems?" he asked.

"I just killed a Shadow Claw demon called Kataba in your training center," Sarah replied. "I don't think we have too much time before the rest of them arrive and start destroying everything."

Squall froze in place. "What?" he asked. "But how…?"

Sarah shook her head. "I have no idea," she said. "I can usually see if the Shadow Claw has started its invasion."

"How?"

"The skies turn back and the moon becomes eclipsed."

Squall seemed to think for a moment. "How much time do we have?"

"Two months at the most," Sarah said. "When Kataba fails to report back to his masters, they'll get suspicious and mobilise their forces."

"Then we start to train today," Squall said. Sarah nodded.

"All right," she said. "I want you to gather your best SeeDs and students in the quad so that I can brief them, and then we'll start training."

Squall nodded. "I'll get started now," he said. "What will you do?"

"I need to find strong monsters and train," she said. "Do you know of a place on this world where I can find such a place?"

Squall nodded and handed her a world map. "This island is called the Island Closest to Hell," he said. "Dragon-type monsters inhabit that island. You can train there, but how are you going to get there?"

"Simple," said Sarah. "The astral plains."

Squall gave her a puzzled look, and she just disappeared. 

"Odd girl," he said quietly. 

Shenand Hill

The air became electrified, as a portal appeared two feet above the ground. This portal was white in colour with even whiter bolts striking the ground as somebody stepped from the portal onto the ground and looked around. She was young and beautiful with earth-brown hair and sea-blue eyes and an angelic face. She wore a green tank top, black jeans, and a blue denim jacket, black steel-tipped boots and fighting gloves on her hands. She looked around and nodded. This was the place where the reckoning was to take place. This was the planet on which the fate of thousands upon thousands of people was going to be decided by one person. The girl sighed and steeled herself for what was to come, the War of Destiny.

_"Prepare yourself, Eve," _she thought. _"This is going to be one huge battle."_

_ _

She made her way towards Timber City to find a way to get to the country called Balamb, and to Sarah Phoenix…

The Island Closest to Hell

_ _

Sarah reeled back from the shock of the Ruby Dragon's Breath attack. This was the fifth Ruby Dragon that she had run into since she arrived on this wretched island. She held her sword in attack position and charged at the dragon, cutting a deep gash in its neck. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Spirits of Ice, envelope this creature in your icy grip!" she said. The Ruby Dragon was instantly frozen and shattered without so much of a death-spasm. Sarah let out a deep sigh of relief and checked her body for wounds. Nothing serious, just a few cuts and bruises that would be gone tomorrow. Sarah nodded…and froze. Somebody powerful had just arrived on the planet, although Sarah couldn't tell who or what it was, yet. All that she could tell was that it was powerful and possibly dangerous. 

_"I have to get back to Garden and warn them!" _she thought. She turned and walked into astral space. 

Seifer was in the infirmary getting his wounds checked on by Dr Kadawoki. She applied some Elixir to the wounds and nodded.

"You should be OK," she said. "What attacked you in there? Two T-Rexuars?"

Seifer sneered. "A huge black T-Rexuar with skeletal wings," he said. "I was handling it fine until some girl came and killed the damn thing. She called it a demon."

"Oh my," said Dr Kadawoki. "Sounds serious."

"Yeah, yeah," Seifer said. "Can I go now? I've got classes to get to."

Dr Kadawoki nodded. "Go ahead," she said.

Seifer put his trench coat back on, picked up his gunblade and left. 

"Squall!" 

Squall looked up to see Sarah standing in front of his desk. "Now what?" he asked. 

"I felt a very powerful presence," Sarah said. "I don't know if it is good or evil, but I do know that it is dangerous. We have to be careful!"

Squall sighed. "Another danger? Can't they call first?" he said. 

"This is no time for jokes, Squall," Sarah said. Squall let out a deep breath.

"Oh, and I've got the files you wanted."

He handed her a pile of at least fifty files. Sarah looked at them and sighed. 

"I take it you have called them all to the quad?" she asked. Squall nodded. 

"You can talk to them whenever you're ready. Oh, and how did the training go?" he said. 

"Fine, until I was attacked by five large ruby-coloured dragon's one-by-one," Sarah replied. Squall chuckled. 

"I guess I should've warned you about the Ruby Dragons," he said. "They're tough opponents."

Sarah glared at him. "Have you ever taken one on by yourself?" she asked. Squall shook his head. "I didn't think so."

With that, she left. 

Balamb Train Station

_ _

Eve stepped off the train and looked around at the station. There was nobody in here that could help her, really, so she left the station and town. She saw Balamb Garden in the distance. 

_"That has to be it," _she thought. _"Hopefully, Sarah will be here already."_

_ _

Eve used the road to walk toward Garden.

It took her about an hour to reach the front Gate, and when she got there, she found Sarah waiting for her, Destiny drawn and ready for combat.

_"Uh-oh," _she thought. 

**Author's Notes: Nooo! A cliffhanger…! You'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens next!**

** **


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six – Uhhh…

Chapter Six – Uh-oh

Sarah narrowed her eyes and examined this new arrival. The power signal that she had sensed earlier was coming from this girl, and yet she looked no older than sixteen, nor did she look that strong. 

"Who are you?" she asked eventually. "What do you want here?"

The girl tilted her head to the side curiously. "I'm looking for somebody," she said. "A girl named Sarah Phoenix. Do you know her by any chance?"

Sarah raised her sword. "I am Sarah Phoenix," she said. "Why are you looking for me?"

The girl's eyes went to Sarah's sword and they widened. "That's Destiny!" she said. "So it's true, you ARE the one fated to battle Ranka!"

Sarah looked at her with a confused look on her face. "How did you know about this sword…?" she asked. "Just who are you?"

"My name is Eve," replied the girl. "I come from a world not unlike this one that has been ravaged by the Shadow Claw. I am one of only twenty survivors of that battle, and I volunteered to find you and your sword and help you defeat Ranka."

Sarah lowered her sword. For some unknown reason, she trusted this girl, despite the fact her senses were almost overloading with the power reading she was getting from her. Sarah concentrated, and her eyes widened: this girl, while she was human, had some kind of power that could easily match her own, and possibly even Ranka's. 

"Fine," she said. "You had better come and meet Squall. He'll want to meet you."

Eve smiled slightly. "Of course," she said. "Lead the way."

Sarah turned and walked into Garden, and Eve followed closely behind her. As Eve was walking, she noticed that most of the males in the hallway were gawking at her. She wasn't surprised though; she had that effect on all males. And, disturbing as it was to think about, some females too. They reached the elevator, got in and went to the third floor. Rinoa heard them coming and looked up.

"Hi Sarah!" she said. "Who's that with you?"

Sarah turned to Eve. "Rinoa, this is Eve. She's here to help," she said. Rinoa smiled.

"Good to meet you Eve," she said. "I'm Rinoa."

"So I heard," Eve said plainly. "Nice to meet you."

"Rinoa? Who is it now?" 

Squall opened the doors with an annoyed look on his face, and then he noticed Sarah.

"Oh, hey Sarah. Who's that with you?" he asked. 

"Squall, this is Eve. She's the one that I was getting the huge power reading from earlier. She's here to help us against the Shadow Claw."

Squall looked at the young girl. "Isn't she a little…young?" he asked. 

"I'm sixteen," Eve said. "But I could probably beat you without even breaking a sweat."

Squall eyed her. "Not another arrogant braggart!" he said. "Are you in any way related to Seifer Almasy?"

"Who?"

"Never mind."

"Did somebody say my name?"

Seifer walked into the office with his schedule in his hand. "Hey, who's that?" he asked, pointing at Eve. _"She's cute,"_ he thought. 

"My name's Eve," said Eve. "I guess you're Seifer, then."

"Yeah, so?" Seifer asked, staring at her. Eve smiled, and had him in a headlock before anybody knew what had happened.

"It's rude to stare," she said. Seifer wheezed, finding it very hard to breath. He looked at Squall, who, like Rinoa and Sarah, was on the verge of laughing. 

"Eve, let him go," Squall said, trying hard not to laugh. Eve nodded and released Seifer, who fell on his knees gasping for air. 

"How…did you…get…so strong?" he asked. 

"I practice martial arts," Eve replied. "It gives my body a good workout and makes me strong."

"Chicken-Wuss also practices martial arts, and he's nowhere near as strong as you!" Seifer said, standing up. Eve smiled again.

"Maybe I just get more practice than he does," she said. "But who's Chicken-Wuss?"

Rinoa sighed. "He's a friend of ours," she said. "Seifer thinks he's a chicken because he doesn't use a weapon."

Eve shot Seifer an angry look. "What's wrong with using hand-to-hand combat techniques?" she asked. "I've defeated a lot of powerful enemies using just my hands and feet, although I'm a qualified weapons specialist too."

Seifer looked at her. "Nothing," he said. "There's nothing wrong with using martial arts! I just think that Zell's a Chicken-Wuss!"

Eve shrugged. "As long as you don't start calling me a chicken, we might just get along," she said. "Is there any place that I can get something to eat here? I'm starving."

"Why is it that everybody that comes here immediately wants to get something to eat?" Squall said, sighing. "There's a cafeteria downstairs."

"Thank you," Eve said, walking out. Squall looked at Sarah.

"Where did you find that one?" 

"Actually, she was just coming into Garden when I confronted her at the front gate," Sarah replied. 

"And you just brought her up here?" Squall said. Sarah shrugged.

"I don't know why, but I trust her," she said. "Besides, she is also looking for revenge against Ranka."

Squall shook his head. "Anyway, the SeeDs and students that you wanted are waiting in the quad for you," he said. "I'd hurry up and talk to them before they rush off, if I were you."

Sarah nodded. "Sure thing," she said. She turned and walked off.

**Author's Notes: **Are things getting interesting enough for you? This story's just beginning!


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven – The training begins

Chapter Seven – The assassin 

** **

Sarah looked over the group that had been gathered in the quad for the training that they were going to be going through. She sighed.

_"They seem stronger than the last group I tried to help," _she thought. _"Who knows, we might just be able to work together and defeat the Shadow Claw once and for all."_

_ _

She cleared her throat and made sure that the microphone was working. 

"SeeDs and students of Balamb Garden," she said. "You have been especially chosen to be trained to fight against an enemy unlike any you have ever faced before. The enemy I speak of is a group of powerful demons called the Shadow Claw. They seek out worlds, deplete them of their natural resources and just leave them to die. I am part Shadow Claw demon, and part human. I hunt these evil creatures, and help the warriors of other worlds hunt them whenever I can. That is my mission, and that is what I plan to do here."

Silence.

_"Do they even believe me?" _Sarah thought. _"Or are they going to just walk out and ignore me until it is too late?"_

_ _

A male SeeD came out of the crowd and looked at her.

"How long do we have?" he asked. Sarah looked at him.

_"Do they believe me?" _she thought. "Two months at the most, that is why we have to start training today."

The SeeD nodded. "I can do that," he said. "My name is Clifford. Nice to meet you."

He held out his hand, and Sarah shook it and looked at him closely. He was tall, had a medium build, red hair, green eyes and a freckled face. His SeeD uniform looked good on him. 

"My name is Sarah," she said. "What about your comrades, will they help too?"

Clifford nodded. "Most of 'em will," he said. "Ain't that right, guys 'n girls?"

The group stood to attention and saluted. 

"See?" Clifford said. "So, where do we train and when do we start?"

Sarah had to smile. Clifford was enthusiastic, to say the least. But enthusiasm was nothing if it did not have courage, strength and the ability to fight backing it up. She noticed that he had a retractable staff hooked onto his belt.

"Is that your weapon?" she asked. Clifford nodded.

"This is my baby," he said. "I carry her everywhere with me. She's saved my life more than once."

"I see," she said. _"His 'baby'?"_

_ _

Another person stepped out of the crowd, Seifer Almasy. 

"Heh, so you were serious, eh?" he said. "I'm glad that I made it into your little selection."

Sarah grinned. "Well, you've had more training than any of these other people," she said. "So I figured that you might be useful in battle. You did, after all, survive against a Shadow Claw demon long enough for me to save you."

Seifer glared at her. "I was doing fine until you showed up and destroyed it," he said. Sarah shook her head.

"Then why did it have you _pinned to the ground_?" she asked. "Trust me, you were about to become a tasty snack for a powerful demon."

Seifer clenched his fists to control his anger. "I just hope you can do to the rest of these demons what you did to the one in the training center," he said, turning around and walking off.

"Is he _always_ so difficult?" Sarah asked Clifford.

"Actually, I think today is one of his better days," he replied, grinning. Sarah sighed. Training Seifer was going to be her biggest challenge yet.

------------------

Eve stared at her milkshake. It was chocolate, her favourite flavour, but she just wasn't in the mood to drink it. She put it down with a sigh.

_"I've been putting on weight lately anyway,"_ she thought. Maybe she would go to that training center she saw earlier and fight a few of those monsters. She got up and walked out of the cafeteria and made her way to the training center. When she got there, she noticed two doors, one on the left and one on the right.

_"Door no. 1, or door no. 2?" _she thought jokingly. She eventually went through door number two, the one on the right. The second she got inside however; she was attacked by a huge dinosaur-type monster! 

_"What the heck is that thing?" _she thought, raising her fists. The monster swung at her with its tail, but it was so slow that Eve simply jumped over the tail and brought her fist down onto it hard. The T-Rexuar roared in pain and immediately stepped away from her. Eve smirked; there was no way she was about to be defeated by an over-sized gecko! The T-Rexuar lowered its head to scoop her up. Big mistake, Eve jumped high into the air and slammed her fist into its head! She heard the satisfying sound of its skull getting split open, and landed safely behind the T-Rexuar as it fell to the ground and dissipated in death.

_"Too easy," _she thought. 

"Whoa, how'd you do _that_?!"

Eve twisted around to see a teenager with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing baggy pants, a blue-black jacket and fighting gloves with a tattoo on the side of his head standing behind her with his eyes wide and his mouth open.

_"Uh-oh," _she thought. _"Busted!"_

_ _

"I, well, you see…" she said, not really sure just how to explain her strength. "I…had been fighting that monster for nearly half-and-hour and I finally managed to beat it."

"Don't bullshit me," the boy said. "I saw what happened: it attacked you and you jumped into the air and cracked it's skull open like a melon!"

_"Darn," _Eve thought. _"He saw the entire fight! Now what do I do?"_

_ _

"Well, I'm waiting for an answer!" he said impatiently. 

"I…I have to go!" she said, turning and running out of the training center. 

Zell watched her leave and sighed. How had she finished that T-Rexuar off so quickly…?

-----------------------

Sarah watched as Clifford warmed up before their practice match. He finished his warm-ups and took the staff from his belt and expanded it to its full length. She unsheathed Destiny and concentrated on making it like a normal sword. After all, she didn't want to beat him _straight away_, right? The runes shone once, and then dimmed out. Sarah nodded.

"Come and get me," she said playfully, a wicked grin on her face. Clifford returned her grin and raised his staff. 

"If you wanna be beaten that badly," he said. The entire group had gathered around them in the quad to watch the practice round with interest. Sarah gave them one look, and turned back to Clifford. 

"I will not lose so easily," she said, laughing softly. "Even in practice."

Clifford gave her a small smile and charged at her, swinging his staff at her abdomen. Sarah blocked it easily and countered with an upward slash that Clifford managed to block with the left end of his staff, and countered by ramming the other end into Sarah's side. She grunted and stepped back.

_"Oh my," _Sarah thought. _"He is good!"_

_ _

She charged at him and feigned another upward slash. When Clifford moved to block it, Sarah tripped him with a foot sweep and put Destiny to his throat.

"You're good," she said. "Strong and fast, but you need to stay focused. Do you surrender?"

Clifford nodded. "Sure," he said. "Y'know, you're the first person to beat me in practice in more than a year?"

Sarah tilted her head to the side. "Really?" she said. "That's nice to know."

She helped him up and turned to the crowd. "Remember, even if you think you've won-" she turned and grabbed Clifford by the throat just as he was trying to stab her in the back with a small knife. "-Your enemy can still get up and stab you in the back. Now, why would you try and kill me?"

Clifford dropped the knife and stared at her. 

"I was just following Ranka's orders," he wheezed. "She wants you dead."

Sarah's grip on his throat tightened. "You're not a demon," she said. "So why are you helping them?"

"I was promised a fine reward," he replied. "All I had to do was kill you."

Sarah dropped him. "A human assassin?" she said. "That's a new one for Ranka. I never saw it coming. Tell me, Clifford, how does it feel to have nearly betrayed your world?"

Clifford rubbed his throat. "Go to hell," he said, standing up and running off. A few SeeDs started after him, but Sarah stopped them.

"Let him report to his mistress," she said. _"This isn't good, if Ranka already has assassin's on this world, then that means that she has had her eye on it for a long time."_

_ _

The SeeDs looked at her. "All right," she said. "You can take an hour-long break and then meet me outside Garden to start our real training."

The group walked out, and Sarah began to think. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight – The Dolphin's Cry

** **

**Author's Notes: **The title of the chapter has nothing to do with what happens in the chapter. The song 'Dolphin's Cry' was just playing on the radio when I started to write this chapter.

Squall could hardly believe what Zell was telling him.

"So this girl actually cracked a T-Rexuar's skull with one punch?" he asked for the fifth time. 

"Yeah, it was really amazing!" replied Zell. "Man, I ain't even that strong!"

"What did this girl look like?" Squall asked. Zell didn't even have to think about that one.

"Young, good-looking, with brown hair, blue eyes and a good complexion. She was wearing…a green tank-top with a blue denim jacket, black jeans, fighting gloves and black steel-tipped boots," he said. Squall sighed.

"That's Eve," he said. "Sarah brought her in here about fifteen minutes ago, saying that she had sensed incredible power within her."

Zell's jaw dropped. "Man," he said. "If she can kill a T-Rexuar in two hits…"

"What? Two hits?" Squall asked. Zell nodded.

"And using no weapons, only her fists."

_"Damn," _Squall thought. _"If she can do that to a monster as powerful as a T-Rexuar, I wonder how much damage she can do to one of those Shadow Claw demons?"_

_ _

"Keep an eye out for her, Zell," he said. "But don't make her mad, she's already put Seifer in a headlock today."

Zell laughed. "Really?" he asked. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"He kept on staring at her."

Zell laughed and walked out of the office.

----------------------------------

Eve had been wondering around Garden, and had found the shooting range. She looked in awe at the wide range of guns that they kept there: M4A1 assault rifles, MP5A5 submachine guns…but the one that really caught her attention was her absolute favourite: a .44 Magnum six-shooter with laser sight. 

"Whoa…" she said quietly. "This is incredible!"

"Hello, who's in there?" 

A boy in a cowboy hat and brown trench coat walked in and looked at her.

"Who are you?" he asked, examining Eve. _"Hey, she's gorgeous!"_

_ _

Eve managed to ignore the way he was looking at her. "My name is Eve," she said. "I'd stop staring if I were you, it's rude and I've already had to put Seifer in a headlock because he couldn't stop staring at me."

The cowboy stepped back, and then laughed. "So you're the one that Seifer was grumbling about in class," he said. "Heh, it's about time somebody taught him a lesson. My name is Irvine. So, you like guns?"

Eve nodded. "My primary weapons are my fists, but I'm also a qualified weapons expert," she said. "You've got some powerful guns here. Do you mind if I try out this magnum?"

Irvine nodded. "Sure, I guess it'd be OK for a weapons specialist to try out that gun. Careful though, it's got a powerful kick back."

Eve smiled sweetly. "I know," she said. "I've used one before. Powerful gun. I'm sure you know what it can do to a man's head at point blank range."

Irvine nodded. "It can redecorate a wall in 'hint of brain' if you fire it at close range at somebody's head," he said. "Although I prefer a rifle to a handgun,"

Eve took the gun from the rack and loaded it before taking aim at the target of Seifer. She didn't even bother to turn on the laser sight before blowing the target's head clean off with one shot. Eve then shot the rest of the five bullets into the other pictures: three Galbadian Soldiers and two Grats. None of the shots missed, even though Eve swung the gun at the targets faster than even Irvine thought possible. She emptied out the bullets and put the gun back on the rack. Irvine stared at her.

"You're a better shot than me," he said. "Hey, who ARE you?"

Eve smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm not a student at this Garden," she said. "But I here to help you against the Shadow Claw."

Irvine stared at her, but didn't get the chance to say anything because Eve just waved and walked out of the shooting range. Irvine pressed a button and each of the targets came forward. 

All of the shots were to the head, and none of them missed. Just who was this girl, and how could she aim so well without even trying?

_"I'm going to have to tell Squall about this," _he thought. 

---------------------------------

Eve leaned against the wall just outside Garden. 

_"That's twice today that I've showed off," _she thought. Her hand went to the amulet around her neck. It was black with a jewel in the center, and with two swords at either side of the jewel and a large sword in the center.

The Angelheart Family crest that had become the symbol of hope for Eve's people, and now it was going to have to become a symbol of hope for these people as well. 

Eve Rebecca Angelheart, lone surviving member of the Angelheart Royal Family, and now the last hope for Trivadia and this world, sighed and sat on the ground and allowed grief to over come her at last. 

"I'm going to KILL every single last one of those demons!"she said. "Not only that, but I'm going to make them suffer as my family suffered before they died! Ranka, you are going to PAY for what you did, even if I die with you!"

_ _

------------------------

In the nearby forest, Sarah heard what Eve had just said. 

_"That poor child," _she thought. _"Ranka, you will pay dearly for what you have done to her!"_

_ _

**Author's Notes: **Review review review!!!

** **

** **


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine – Eve's sorrow

Chapter Nine – Angel of the Storm: an interlude

Smoke billowed around the brown-haired warrior as he raised his two swords and finished off one of the Shadow Claw demons that had foolishly remained on Trivadia to find and kill the survivors. He drove his swords into the demon's chest and spilled its black blood. Just to make sure that it was dead, he severed its head from its shoulders and watched with emotionless eyes as it fell to the ground and dissipated. He felt no remorse, only hatred. These things had destroyed his home, lied to his youngest daughter and had tried to kill him and the rest of his family. 

And it was time for the Storm to have his revenge upon these minions of hell. He was going to make sure that they suffered for their deeds, and that Ranka was damned to the darkest pits of Hades where she belonged. Yes, Tempest, King of Trivadia and Arch-Angel of the Storm, was going to have his revenge. And he was going to enjoy administering his revenge slowly and very, very painfully… 

"I am Tempest, Arch-Angel of the Storm!" he said loudly. "Come and get me, demons of Hades, for I swear that I shall cut you all down one-by-one and use your blood to flavour my wine! I SWEAR IT!!"

A large demon-possessed dragon flew down in an attempt to take his head off, but Tempest jumped up and cut straight through the creatures' hideous body, and landed on the ground as the…thing fell to pieces and died in a pool of its own black blood.

"I will have my revenge," he muttered softly. "Beware, Ranka, I'm coming for you!"

Tempest walked off into the flames and smoke to meet up with the rest of his family. 

**Author's Notes: **I thought that the story needed a sort of interlude, so this was it.

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	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten – Tempus Fugit (NO relation to The Omega

**Chapter Ten – Tempus Fugit (NO relation to The Omega!)**

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The two months passed quickly, and Sarah was satisfied with the speed at which the SeeDs and students were learning. She hadn't seen or heard from Clifford since she had confronted him in the quad. Not that she cared, the fewer humans that came after her the better. Eve, on the other hand, remained quiet and introverted toward everybody, including her. Sarah knew why, but somehow guessed that Eve would not want to talk about her family, now or ever. She was in the cafeteria having lunch, when Eve came in and ordered lunch. Sarah looked up and noticed that she had chosen the farthest place from everybody to sit, almost as if she wanted nothing to do with anybody. Sarah sighed, some people were like that; cold towards others, quiet, secretive… Sarah's head shot up at the sky. She had just sensed a power similar to Eve's, yet this one was much more powerful. She jumped to her feet, ran to the cafeteria entrance, grabbed her sword and quickly used the astral plains to get to the source of the power signature. 

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Tempest landed in the Grandidi Forest and looked around. It hadn't changed at all, not that it surprised him. This world never seemed to change; monsters still roamed around freely and demons still hid amongst the shadows. He sighed, Marrin, Rebecca and Celythia should be somewhere on this world, but he knew exactly where he had to go: Balamb Garden. He brushed off his black tunic and began to walk through the dense greenery of the forest, but a young silver-haired girl in a turquoise cloak stopped him by pointing a sword at his throat. Grumbling, Tempest jumped back and drew his swords. His sea-blue eyes flashed, he had seen this girl and her sword somewhere before, but where?

"Who are you?" the girl demanded. "And why do you have the same kind of power as Eve?"

Tempest lowered his blades. "You know my daughter?" he asked. "Where is she? Is she safe?"

The girl looked puzzled, but her sword remained where it was. "I heard that her family was dead," she said. "She said so herself."

Tempest sighed. "So, Ranka managed to poison Eve's mind with lies," he said. "Damn that she-demon, I'm going to kill her!"

The silver-haired girl lowered her sword and looked at him in shock. "Ranka?" she asked. "How do you know about Ranka?"

"Easy, she led her demons and ravaged my world. She even had the gall to say that she had won, and leave behind a small army of demons to kill us! HA! I killed the last of that group last night!"

"You managed to kill a Shadow Claw demon? How? With what weapon?"

Tempest smirked. "My swords and some powerful magical attacks," he said. "I doubt that you would understand my power though, you're only human."

The girl's eyes flashed white, and Tempest's swords were again raised for battle. "What the hell are you?!" he said.

"A hybrid," the girl replied. "My father was a Shadow Claw demon, and my mother was human. I have been alive for centuries, but I cannot age a day over 18."

"But you're not evil," he said. "Or else that sword you're holding would burn you. Is that sword…Destiny?"

The girl nodded. "Eve knew that too," she said. "She's a nice person, but she needs to work on her people skills."

Tempest sighed. "She's usually so sociable," he said. "She must've changed after my 'death' though. Wait, you can sense different power signals?" 

She nodded. "That's how I found you," she said. "I also knew when Eve arrived here, her power signature was unlike anything that I had ever seen. That is, until I sensed your power. What are you, exactly? A new kind of human?"

Tempest laughed. "I only wish that I could tell you that, but I'd be lying if I did," he said. "Nope, I'm human, but with the same old problems: war-like nature, tends to kill when angered."

"But if you're human, then why do I sense that power?" the girl said. "You LOOK human, but something about you seems to be…different."

Again, Tempest laughed. "I might as well show you, although when I do it'll attract monsters like a magnet," he said. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, allowing his powers to manifest themselves again. Grey wings flashed on his back and the girl could feel the power flowing through his veins. 

Tempest took on his Arch-Angel form and spread his grey wings so that she could see them properly. 

She stared in awe.

He sighed.

"I am an Arch-Angel," he said. "A being of great power, and Eve is one too, although she hides her powers because she fears them."

The girl fainted.

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Sarah woke up a few hours later in the Garden infirmary. She got up and realised what had happened. 

"Heh, I NEVER faint," she said quietly. "I wonder why I fainted when he showed me what he and his daughter are…?"

Sarah shrugged and went to find Eve.

**Author's Notes: **NOW things'll get interesting! In the next chapter: we meet Ranka and her Shadow Claw demons for the first time!


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven – It begins

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Centra Crater

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The skies began to grow dark over Centra, and the moon began its eclipse. A large, dark portal opened in the sky far above the ground, and any person looking into the portal would most likely die of fright where they stood. Because what came from that portal had ravaged many worlds, killed many people and destroyed countless lives. Out of this portal of darkness came the legions of the Shadow Claw. Wave upon wave of horrid, nightmarish demons came from that portal. Eyes like fire, claws like knives, fangs that were red with blood, bodies that were twisted and horrid. These were the Shadow Claw demons, and they had finally reached their destination. As the last of her escort landed, Ranka herself came from the portal on black featherless wings. Tall, dark and foreboding, the leader of the Shadow Claw landed lightly on human feet and scanned the area with human eyes. Anybody that looked at her would never guess that Ranka was a demon in human form. She stood at around 6'1, had dark grey eyes and even darker black hair. Her body was covered by a tight-fitting dress that flattered her too-perfect figure and showed off a lot of her flesh, covering only her breasts, and showing off most of her too-perfect legs. She had a large black sword on her back that fed off of human blood. It was Destiny's counterpart, it was Oblivion, the mighty blade forged in the fires of Hades, and cooled with human blood. The dark runes on its black blade gave it powers that went beyond the imagination, but it came at a terrible price: once every three thousand years it must feed on the blood of a human.

And three thousand years had passed, and Oblivion cried out silently for human blood. Ranka took the sword from her back and held it lovingly like a mother would hold her newborn babe. 

"Do not worry Oblivion," she said in a sweet, almost seductive voice. "You will feed on the one they call Eve Angelheart."

The sword glowed darkly, and Ranka put the sword on her back and looked around. So this was the place where she and Sarah would fight each other at long last. Ranka allowed herself a small smile. 

_"I will destroy you, Sarah Phoenix, and then I will destroy this world!" _she thought. She turned to her army. "Come, my minions, we will send Sarah and her new friends a message! Haladar!"

A large and black snake-like demon with (surprise, surprise) dark wings, glowing green eyes, a long forked tongue and large poisonous fangs slithered up to his mistress. 

"Yessss, my mistressss?" he said, hissing. 

"I want you to take 300 lesser demons and attack that Garden that Clifford told us about. Balamb Garden," Ranka said. Haladar bowed low.

"At onccceeee, my mistresss," he said, turning and picking out the 300 soon-to-be-dead lesser demons. He soon had them all picked out, and they disappeared into astral space. Ranka smiled to herself; Haladar was one of her most loyal minions, but she knew that he would not come back alive. Sarah had started training these…SeeDs so that they could battle her on an even level. That was what Clifford had said, right before he became Haladar's dinner. Ranka waved her hand and a dark, ominous castle appeared just above the Demi Drawpoint. Ranka nodded in approval and went inside for a much-needed rest. It had been a long trip, and even demons needed to sleep.

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Sarah stared in horror at the skies above Balamb. They had turned black, the first sign of Shadow Claws' arrival. Next, the moon was eclipsed, sending day into night and banishing the light into oblivion. 

_"It's beginning," _she thought. She used the astral plains to get back to Garden.

"Squall, the Shadow Claw demons have arrived! They'll be here soon! We have to prepare for the attack!" she said, appearing in front of Squall. 

"WHAT?!" Squall exclaimed. He pressed the emergency intercom button on his desk. "Attention! Garden is going to be under attack very soon! Prepare our defences! Remember what Sarah has taught you! Zell, Selphie, Quistis, Rinoa, Irvine and Seifer, get up here on the double!"

Squall looked at Sarah with a worried look on his face. "I guess this is where we see if we can win or not," he said. 

"I guess so," replied Sarah. She unsheathed Destiny. "I can feel them, they're close. We must be ready."

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Haladar and his small army left astral space just outside Balamb Garden. The demon horde let off an unearthly howl to announce its arrival, and Haladar issued the Challenge.

"I am Haladar, minion of the almighty Ranka, leader of the SSSShadow Claw demonsssss! I am calling you out to battle, humansssssss! Come and meet your doom!" Haladar hissed out the challenge, but he never expected them to be as prepared as they were. The forests seemed to come alive as SeeDs and students alike rushed into battle. The demon horde was taken completely by surprise, and the humans managed to cut down most of them before disappearing into the forests again. Haladar let off a mighty roar. 

"Cowardly humansss!" he hissed. "You dare to strike us from the shadowssss!?"

"Oh boo-hoo for you!"

There was a streak of green, grey, blue and brown as something cut its way through Haladar's army. At least twenty demons were killed, and their blood soaked the ground and polluted its soil forever more. 

But their assailant was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he or she had simply vanished into thin air. 

"Who daresssss to attack us like thisss?" Haladar demanded. "Have you no honouuuurrrrr?"

"You know _nothing _of honour!" said a young female voice. Somebody came out of the forest and looked at him.

"Who are youuu?" Haladar asked. 

"My name is Eve Rebecca Angelheart," said the girl. "And I'm the first offensive! Now, prepare to meet the second offensive!"

Eve disappeared back into the forest, and a large shadow appeared above the demons. The looked up just in time to see Bahamut charging up his Mega Flare and firing it straight into the demon horde. The blast incinerated nearly half of them, and Haladar himself was badly wounded. Next came Leviathan, conjuring up a mountain and washing away even more demons with his water.

Next came Pandemona, then Ifrit, and Shiva…until finally Eden himself appeared and vanquished the small army with his power. 

"Ranka will desssstttttrrroyyy you aaallllll!" Haladar yelled with his dying breath. The huge snake demon collapsed and dissipated into nothingness.

They had won the first battle, but the war was only just beginning…

END PART ONE

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